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Chicken Or Turkey Salad With Pears

The first time I made this salad was for the chairman of the organization I worked for. Later in the day he made a point of taking me aside and thanking me for “the best salad I have ever had”. Well, that’s definitely one big pat on the back! By the way, we love it too! The Honey Tarragon Vinaigrette simply makes the salad. This is something you can make with either freshly cooked or leftover chicken or turkey.

In a blender combine all ingredients except the oils. Slowly drizzle in the combined oils, with the blender running, until the dressing is thickened. You can do the dressing the same way, using a bowl & whisk. (Place the dressing into a jar and store in the fridge until needed, shake dressing to combine before dressing the salad).

Place the bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet; toss with the EVO, herbs & salt. Place in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until crispy but not too hard. Set aside until ready to make the salad.

Assemble the salad:

You can place all the ingredients in a large salad bowl, but I have to say it is much prettier to assemble the salads on 6 individual plates.
Place the greens onto the plates; arrange the turkey or chicken on top of the greens. Cut the pears in half & remove the cores. Slice the pears & place them around the chicken, tucking into the greens here & there. Crumble the cheese onto the salads; top with some of the walnuts & croutons; garnish with thin slices of red onion & a sprig of fresh dill. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.

I wasn’t trying to figure out what to do with the Mascarpone leftover from Christmas! I have always used wax paper for this type of cake…never tried parchment…it did cross my mind but I decided to go with what I always do. Try it out and get back! I have never seen any recipes call for using parchment though so I wonder?